The Strawberry Hearts Diner(31)

Strange, but Shane didn’t stutter one time when he was singing. Maybe he was kin to that old country music artist Mel Tillis. She kept stealing glances over at him, sitting there as if he was proud to have her beside him. The creases in his jeans stood out sharp, and his boots shined. The sky blue in his plaid shirt matched his eyes, and the rolled-up sleeves clung tight to his biceps.

Jancy scarcely heard a word of the sermon. She’d never been to church with a guy before. Men that she was drawn to were far more interested in a cheap motel. She chanced another sideways glance at him. The grown-up Shane was far more handsome than the boy had been. He’d always been tall, but this guy had grown into his own. On a smaller man, his curly brown hair might look a little girly, but Shane wore it with sexiness.

He caught her gaze and held it for several seconds before he took her hand in his and rested it on his knee. The heat was enough to set the whole church ablaze, but she couldn’t force herself to move it. Lord, what a mess. When he found out what all she’d done in the past six years, there would be no more flirting or dates for church. Finally, the preacher asked Woody to say a final prayer, and then folks were on their feet.

Shane pulled her up, let go of her hand, and draped an arm around her shoulders. “I couldn’t keep my m-mind on wh-what the preacher w-was sayin’ w-with you right beside m-me.”

If anyone else had said that to her, she’d have chalked it up to a pickup line, but everything that Shane said and did left no doubt he was sincere. Her heart lifted a little despite her thoughts.

The preacher shook her hand as they left and said, “I remember you and your mama from years ago. She was such a good woman—helped clean the church on Friday mornings and was always helping with food for funeral dinners. And you and Shane made a good couple out there on the dance floor this afternoon.”

“Thank you,” Jancy said. “Mama loved Pick better than anywhere we ever lived.”

“I understand that she’s passed on,” the preacher said. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you.” She moved on a few steps.

Shane didn’t tarry long with the preacher, saying only a sentence or two, and then his hand went to the small of her back, guiding her out to his old truck at the far edge of the parking lot.

“W-want to drive up to Frankston for an ice cream? It’s still early and it ain’t even dark yet,” Shane asked as he opened the truck door for her.

“Five o’clock in the morning comes pretty quick. A rain check?” She wanted to spend more time with him—lots more time—and he gave her self-confidence such a boost, but the wariness and shame in her heart didn’t want to let go.

“You got it,” he said. “Can I have your phone number, Jancy?”

“I’ll give it to you when I get the service turned back on. In the meantime, call on the house phone. I don’t know that number, but it’s in the phone book, I’m sure,” she said.

He started the engine and put it in reverse.

“Shane, are you in love with Emily?” she blurted out before they even left the parking lot.

“Hell, no!” He braked so fast that she was glad the old truck had seat belts. “Sorry about that, but wh-why’d you ask that question?”

“I needed to know. Something isn’t right with that girl. I don’t know her, so to me, she’s—too many words.” She flipped her hands in the air. “Short story, Nettie asked me to figure out what’s making Emily so jumpy. I thought maybe you were flirting with me to—well, you know.”

“I w-would never use you like that.” He started backing up again. “I kinda had a crush on you a long time ago. I w-was afraid to ask you out because”—he smiled—“I stutter and you were so far out of my league.”

“I kinda had a crush on you, too,” she admitted. “But that was a long time ago. And honey, if anyone was out of a league, it was me out of yours.”

“Look, we were just kids. The time w-wasn’t right then. Maybe it is now. We can at least see if it is.” He drove so slowly that she could have gotten home faster on the back of a snail.

Home. She hadn’t thought that word in years.

“Right?” he prompted as he parked in the driveway.

“Yes, but I probably won’t stay in Pick more than a few weeks.”

“I’ll take what I can get.” He grinned as he opened the truck door and rounded the back to help her out. “Maybe, if it’s all right, I’ll come around tomorrow night and we can walk up to Leonard’s for an ice cream?”

That might be the perfect time to tell him that she wasn’t right for him. “I’d like that,” she said instead. “Thanks, Shane.”

“See you then.” He whistled all the way back to the truck.

“You should have given him a good night kiss,” Nettie said from the shadows of the porch. “He’s a good person.”

Jancy jumped. “Nettie, you scared me.”

“Come sit beside me and talk to me. It’s not Shane, is it?”

“He says it isn’t.” She hiked a hip on the porch rail.

“I was kind of hoping it was. That means it’s probably Ryder.”

“Why does it have to be anyone? She’s nervous about disappointing Vicky about not going to school. She really doesn’t want to go back. That much is right out there in the air even if Vicky doesn’t want to see it.” Jancy kicked off one sandal. “Where are they?”